


Light of the Fire Nation

by NebulaTrashPaladins



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula is mentioned but she harms nobody, Ba Sing Se, Because that's an official tag now!, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hibiscus is fun to say but i've never tasted it before, I stole that, Irko Week 2020, Iroh Adopts Zuko (Avatar), Lots of Tea, Pao Family Tea House, Tea, Uncle misses Lu Ten, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko: Iroh? I don't know an Iroh. Only Uncle, and honestly who doesn't adopt Zuko at this point?, but lu ten is mentioned so I've got a good reason, chamomile slander, i don't hate chamomile, it's ME writing a fic what else did you expect?, jasmine tea, no beta we die like lu ten, zuko just lost his way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:13:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28012194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NebulaTrashPaladins/pseuds/NebulaTrashPaladins
Summary: Irko Week 2020 in no specific order! Zuko and Iroh are awesome fight me.
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	Light of the Fire Nation

**Author's Note:**

> IIIIITTTT'S TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME for Irko Week 2020 but it's not November it's DECEEEEEMMMMBEEEEEEEEEER.
> 
> I usually only write for Voltron but who could resist the beauty of the dynamic that is Iroh and Zuko? Certainly not I. This is my first Avatar fanfic and I cannot promise quick or consistent updates but I can promise you chamomile slander.
> 
> Anyway, this has no order, only chaos. We're starting with Prompt #4: Grief! Chapter Title from 'The Things We Lost In The Fire' by Bastille, fic title from 'Light of the Fire Nation' by Sage's Rain on UTube who was my guiding light to understanding this dynamic enough for this to work.
> 
> Summary: You ever talk shit about tea during a thunderstorm?

Ba Sing Se was a lot of things. Uncle called it ‘magnificent’. The Dai Li said it was safe, there was no war. It was big, really big. But most of all, Zuko realized, it had the annoying habit of being loud. The first couple of nights, Zuko had pulled his pillow over his head in order to drown out the noise, but it wasn’t a very comfortable position to sleep in. He didn’t sleep the first night, but blissfully passed out on the second.

It had been almost two weeks now since they moved to Ba Sing Se.

The city was loud. Uncle’s snores were loud. But the snores he could deal with pretty easily. He didn’t journey across the Earth Kingdom with Uncle only to still be growling in annoyance at the noise. The absence of those snores might actually be the reason he was laying awake now, tossing and turning, more annoyed than he could ever remember being. He had work tomorrow, so why couldn’t the universe just be nice to him for one night and give him six hours of sleep? Or at least four? Was that too much to ask? Really?

So yes - snoring. Snoring was easy to deal with. He passed out regardless. But this? Whatever in Agni’s glorious name was happening here, Zuko did not know how to deal with it.

It was strange. Zuko doesn’t ever remember Uncle crying, so it took him aback. Until now, he’d probably convinced himself Uncle was too old for crying. Uncle would be fine, right? He had to be. He was asleep anyway; it wasn’t like he was injured or sick or-

“Lu Ten,” Uncle muttered, and Zuko flinched.

Of course.

Ba Sing Se was more than its great wall, its magnificence, safety and occasional noisy nights. It was the city in which Zuko’s cousin--Uncle’s son--fought and died in. How had he forgotten that? How could he have forgotten this was where Lu Ten died? He really was a horrible nephew, and a terrible cousin. Now he needed to fix... this. Unfortunately, he had no idea how too.

Part of him just wanted to close his eyes and fall back asleep and forget this ever happened.

The rest of him knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep until Uncle was... well, Uncle again.

Submitting himself to this fate, Zuko thought of a plan.

So, how do you help someone who was grieving a dead son? Zuko didn’t know.

But how do you help Uncle Iroh?

An idea sparked to life in his mind, and he immediately got up from bed and headed to the small kitchen. Chamomile was good for stuff like this, right? He dug around in the cupboards, going through the various teas they had gotten from the Pao Family Tea House. There was so many with so many names. Zuko had never really thought about how many types of teas there were. Being nearly half blind, and in the dark, was not helping anything.

Finally, after what felt like ages, his hand closed around the chamomile tin.

“Zuko?”

The sound that ripped from him was high pitched, undignified, and might have woken the neighbors. He felt himself throw the tin at whoever snuck up behind him and jumped into a fighting stance, cursing himself for not bringing his swords, prepared to fight Jet or whoever had-Oh... oh... it was Uncle.

He straightened, knowing the unscarred side of his face was probably red but hoping for at least some dignity. Uncle had caught the tin, and he was smiling like this was _funny_. How could he smile at a time like this? Minutes ago he’d been having a nightmare, how could he think any of this was funny?

“I’ll heat the kettle,” Uncle said, placing the tin on the table and heading to the stove.

“Yeah,” Zuko said awkwardly. He could never make tea like Uncle, anyway. Why did he even think this was a good idea?

He should’ve just gone back to sleep. But as he looked over at Uncle, he realized that maybe-just maybe-he’d made the right call this time. Uncle’s hands were shaking slightly as he lit the spark rocks underneath the kettle. Zuko sat down at the table and stared at his hands, letting the quietness of the apartment wash over him. The noise from Ba Sing Se was quieter than most nights, probably because of the coming storm. No running or drunk laughter came from the streets (yet), even the children weren’t screaming in the apartment below. It was a simple blessing, but one he allowed himself to enjoy just for a while.

Uncle placed the kettle on the table and continued making the tea. Zuko wondered if he should say something about the nightmare, or if it would be better (not to mention easier) to just keep quiet. He pondered this as a cup of tea was placed in front of him, the aroma of chamomile joining the faint petrichor from outside.

A rumble of thunder echoed in the kitchen, and a memory of Azula’s lightning stuttered to the front of his mind. He remembered how Uncle had fallen then, how helpless Zuko had been, how close he was to losing him.

It had become more clear than ever then that despite all the hardships they faced together, no matter how much Zuko shouted and insulted him, Uncle had always been the one who was _there_. When Uncle had laid there motionless and barely breathing, it scared Zuko. Scared him more than he thought was possible to be afraid. He could feel the tendrils of that fear accompany the thunder, so he gripped the warm teacup in his hand and took a sip from it.

Floral teas had never been Zuko’s favourite, but it was better than fixating on the storm. He snuck a look over at Uncle, and he felt his face relax a bit. He _hadn_ ’t died. They were here now, as terrible of a time as Zuko was having in the city. He wondered now if the city was affecting Uncle more than what he witnessed tonight. Lu Ten and Uncle had been really close, something younger Zuko envied his older cousin for as much as he had adored him.

The chamomile’s honey-floral taste died away when he finally noticed Uncle had set his tea down and not finished it, and was now just staring into the half-empty cup.

Zuko felt the panic try to return and stubbornly ignored it. He pretended not to notice, _like a coward_ , and took another sip before setting his cup down as well. Lightning lit up the room, thunder clapped loudly in the distance. The first raindrops fell. Silence stretched on between uncle and nephew. The tea got colder. The room remained unusually solemn.

The tension was so thick in the room that Zuko could start cutting through it with his Dao swords and perhaps he’ll finish by morning. He was sick of this. He needed to say something. If he didn’t, the cloud of despair would crush him and he would have to abandon Uncle to sleep this night off.

He ran his hand over the cup, feeling the remaining heat trapped under his palm, and cleared his throat. Uncle looked up, startled out of whatever trance he’d been in. Great, now Zuko had to say something.

“Uh..." He tapped his other hand on the table, "Lu Ten once told me... he never like... enjoyed chamomile tea?”

A beat of silence.

Then Uncle laughed, and the sound made something in Zuko’s chest swell. He had to fight off a smile, but allowed the feeling of relief to wash over. Tears gathered at the corners of Uncle’s eyes for a different reason this time.

“I remember. Even before he told me, I had a feeling he wasn’t too fond of it.” Uncle’s smile was sad as he reminisced about his lost son. “He never drank it again after his ‘big and important confession’.”

This time Zuko did smile. That sounded like Lu. “He liked Jasmine green tea better,” Zuko continued, “And hibiscus. But jasmine was his favourite,” He released his hand from the top of his cup, the warm water vapor now coating his palm. Or would it be tea vapor? Thunder rumbled again. “He probably told you that, though.”

The silence was back, but it didn’t stretch on too long this time. “Unfortunately, we did not talk too much in the last year he was...” Uncle faltered. Zuko gave a small nod. “I don’t think we had the time. When we had the time, we spoke about the past and coming battles or about home. He missed you and Azula so much.” Thunder clapped again in the distance, making the windows rattle. Uncle’s eyes weren’t downcast anymore, instead he looked at Zuko with that same sad smile. “He wanted to come home to visit you and your sister. He made plans.”

The temperature dropped several degrees in the room. It was Zuko’s turn to look down into the cup. The rain was loud outside, replacing the sounds of drunk singing and trouble-making children.

“After I… lost him, it was very hard. Sometimes it’s still hard, like tonight. It took time, but eventually the loss stings a little less. I learned to live without him in my life, but learned to live with the love he left behind. Finally, I was ready to accept new love.” Zuko looked up at his Uncle at that, and the smile was a little less sad. “I came home truly for the first time in months. I knew I couldn’t just leave you behind.”

Something burned behind his eyes. He clenched his fist as lightning once again lit up the room. The thunder that followed was the loudest, and the windows rattled wildly with the shock.

“We need more tea,” Zuko said, and only hated himself a little bit for it.

Another laugh came from Uncle. “Good idea, nephew. I think we’ll have Jasmine instead. Then we can go back to bed. We need to be well rested for tomorrow.”

After a still floral but better cup of tea, the rain had slowed down to a gentle drizzle. That night was the quietest night in Ba Sing Se Zuko had ever experienced. Even Uncle’s snores couldn’t shoot down that thought. He dreamt of Lu Ten and jasmine and a time where Azula had been less intent on killing either of them.

**Author's Note:**

> I will fight anyone who says that Keith and Zuko are 'the same character'. I can write Keith's point of view easily, fall into his character like the leaves from the mothertrucking vine. But Zuko? It's more like a burping bison. I hope I did Ba Sing Se Zuko justice.
> 
> But seriously, I don't mean to offend chamomile or its drinkers. Zuko and Lu Ten just have issues.


End file.
